Cube Audio Nenuphar Single Driver Speaker (10 inch) TQWT Enclosure

I heard the Nenuphars at the 2019 Capital Audiofest.  I liked, in part, what I heard.  Typical of the breed, it sounded very lively and engaging.  But, again typical of the breed, it was short on deep bass, a bit lacking in warmth, a bit rough sounding in the upper midrange and had a pronounced peak in the treble range.  Whether the undeniably great attributes of such a speaker outweigh the negatives is a matter of taste.  In part, it would matter what one listens to most frequently.  To me, the Nenuphars sounded very good with jazz, particularly where brass instruments are prominent.  They also sounded good with vocal pop music.  But, they lacked the weight and ability to deliver power when large-scale classical music was played.

So far, I've only heard a couple of single driver systems that I could easily live with myself.  One is the Voxativ Ampeggio, the other is the Charney Audio system.  I particularly like the Charney.  I've heard their speaker with the AER and Voxativ driver, and I particularly like the AER driver (a little bit more extended on top, and very smooth).

When "full-range" drivers are coupled with other drivers in multi-way systems, the result can be really good.  I've heard some amazingly good systems that use full-range drivers as the bass/midrange driver in two way systems, and I've also heard them used as midrange drivers in three way systems.  One big advantage of using full range drivers in multi-way systems is that crossovers can be simpler (I heard, and liked, systems where the full range driver is run full range, with a first order high pass filter network on the tweeter-very minimalist crossover).

This speaker is said to break out of the typical mold you refer to? Owners and reviewers certainly don’t hear the same sonic traits you mention. Perhaps the show was not an ideal venue to hear these and it could be the speakers were young in play hours? Very different take on this speaker compared to what I have been reading and learning.

It always amazes me how gear with little play time is often used to showcase at shows. This is not putting your best foot forward in terms of sales and marketing strategy. Cannot help but think this was at play here.

Good to read your comments as all perspectives are helpful.

I guess I assumed the parties planning the room used electronics known to have good synergy. @larryi please let us know the amp paired with the speaker. I assumed First Watt SIT3. 

It might very be the case that the show room (small hotel room) and the accompanying electronics were not ideal--they rarely are, but, I have some experience listening to gear under these circumstances so I have a rough handle on what the speakers sound like.  I heard them in near-field conditions, so I know a bit more than if I heard them in some very large space where bad sound is most often the result of a bad room.

Please don't misunderstand, I actually liked the speaker.  I am also very much drawn to speakers that sound vivid, alive and do micro-dynamics well (which IS the case of the Nenuphar).  But, I pointed out what I saw as some shortcomings (all speakers have them) because that is, to me, more informative than unconditional ravings.  Because speakers like the Nenuphar deliver a sound that is so much more vivid than the typical audiophile speaker, it is easy to be caught up in its strengths and not become aware of what would be more serious issues if you own them and had to live with them in the long term.  I did that myself when I first became aware of what many high efficiency systems (e.g. horn systems) can do.

By the way, I find it interesting that you mentioned the S.I.T-3 amp.  A friend of mine built his own S.I.T. amp from the design Nelson Pass made publicly available and it is one of a handful of solid state amps that I like.   Another one is the Nelson Pass First Watt J-2 which I borrowed from the same friend.  I would not consider either amp "warm," at least tonally, but, they were very musically engaging and did not sound lifeless (which is the case with many solid state amps).